Dan Fox - Managing Director"Sometimes referred to as the ‘Ibiza on Ice’ due to its party town reputation, Pas de la Casa is purpose built and divides opinion on his beauty! However, with very low prices and great access to the slopes you'll soon be at the heart of the extensive Grandvalira ski area."PAS DE LA CASA
Often referred to as the Ibiza of the mountains, you'll find a huge range of bars for après-ski, not to mention pubs proposing happy hour and cheap drinks, while a number of clubs ensure there's a buzzing nightlife for your ski holiday here. Pas de la Casa attracts a younger crowd and some large groups, so it can get fairly raucous and animated, particularly at night, with a good atmosphere from an international crowd.
Pas de la Casa is a man-made town, built around the foot of the slopes just up from the French border. The simplest way to get to Pas is from Toulouse Airport, with a transfer taking around 2.5 hours and therefore perfect for a short ski break. Further flight options are available into Barcelona, however, the transfer is longer, at over 4 hours.
All the resort is accessible by foot, though be prepared for some steep roads around town. Dining out in Pas will cater to all tastes, from fast food joints and cafés to pizzerias, traditional trattorias and tapas bars and a few more upmarket restaurants. Those places bordering the slopes usually have a terrace to enjoy long sunny lunches. Prices on the whole in the resort are reasonable but where you’ll notice a big difference is in the supermarkets and department stores, where low taxes mean you can pick up bargains on ski gear, designer clothes, perfume and alcohol. Ski holiday accommodation includes simple and affordable 2-star hotels and apartments, a good choice of 3-star hotels many of which offer both Bed & Breakfast and half-board and some 4-star hotels with spa facilities. Most of the accommodation is close to the lifts or within a short walk, so it’s really easy to get around and get to the lifts.
SKI AREA OVERVIEW
Being the highest resort in the Pyrenees, at 2100m, Pas de la Casa in Andorra boasts an impressive natural snow record, not to mention excellent coverage from snow cannons should the white stuff decide not to fall. Part of the expansive Grandvalira ski area that encompasses six different linked valleys (Pas, Grau Roig, El Tarter, Soldeu, Canillo and Encamp), it offers a combined 210km of slopes on the same lift pass, meaning an excellent variety of terrain is waiting to be discovered during a short break or long ski weekend in Andorra.
The resort is ideally suited to beginner and intermediate skiers and boarders, while there are also off-piste opportunities and some steeper tree-lined skiing for those at a more advanced level. In total, you have 67 lifts serving 123 different runs between 1710m and 2640m, while there are also excellent beginner areas and 3 snow parks, notably the freestyle area in El Tarter which is a must for park rats, all of which makes Andorra and Pas de la Casa very attractive for a ski holiday.
- Warm up your ski legs with a run down the 7km Gall de Bosc, the longest piste in Grandvalira.
- Lunch at the Coll Blanc KSB restaurant at 2500m altitude – a casual French bistro with incredible panoramic views, a definite bucket list event on a clear day.
- One of our favourite places is El Marselles bar and restaurant, right opposite the lifts. Enjoy chilled Ibiza style tunes from DK Kriss over dinner and party into the early hours when the scene cranks up later on.
- Milwaukee is normally rocking till late, a busy sports bar that plays current chart tunes, not forgetting their legendary Rib Shack Evening, with all-inclusive drinks, meats and laughs.